I'm considering going from a YBA Passion integrated amp at 100wpc to either the new mcintosh MC402 or the Parasound JC1. I'd likely get a matching preamp from whichever amp mfg i get. I'm driving Talon Peregrines with all of the upgrades. They are pretty efficient, but I'm trying to get a bigger sound. The YBA sounds clean and great, but doesn't move a lot of air. Opinions please?

Hello Sea2,I recently purchased JC1's which are still breaking-in at just over 400 hours. They replaced an Aragon 8008bb and Manley Neo-Classic 250's. I ran these amps both independently and bi-amped together. JC1's take a long time to break-in, upwards of 1400 hours. CTC suggests leaving these amp's powered on 24/7 w/signal for two month's, if your not willing to do that, I would reconsider. There is a ton of info on them here on Agon's forum. Anyway, my JC1's are starting to open up and are proving to be amazing amp's for the money. This last Wednesday evening they finally started to show what they're all about, again, after 400 hours.

Hi Sea2,JC1s might surprise you; Perfectionist is right that break in takes time, with signal going through, not just powered up, but it's well worth it. Send me an email for info and ideas on preamps if you'd like.

The Mcintosh stuff is very nice! Not finicky, does not need hours of break in. As Aball says, looks good too. Give it a listen. It's probably close to your YBA sound but better and trust me it will move a ton of air.

If you want delicacy, air, sweetness of sound, separation of instruments, expansive sound stages, etc... you need to look at either Pass Labs or Ayre Acoustics. Like most high bias amps, they too benefit from being powered up 24/7 and may consume a good amount of AC, even at idle. This is obviously just my opinion and may not be worth the paper that it isn't printed on : ) Sean>

I second the Mac thing, I own a c2200 a mc275 a 252 and their cd205..its gooood stuff,sounds excellent and musical, their build quality is probably second to none. Break in time is nil, sounds great right out of the box. So sick and tired of amps needing 6.9 trillion years to break in and sound good, I mean c'mon. Mac is the real deal.

Dre_j, the thinness goes away after about thirty days with the JC-1s, and dynamics, weight, air and focus nicely improve a bit further down the road as they become, if you'll pardon the expression, faster sounding - they get out of the way of the music better. Nope, they don't take 10^7 hours to break in :-)

Thanks for the answers. Is it the time the amp is powered on? If not, does it have more to do with running music through the system along with the break-in time? If I turn the amp off after the break-in time, do I start all over again?

I hope to Listen to both amps in the next few weeks. The write ups on both have been pretty impressive. It does get confusing reading all of the articles and information. It sounds as if both are great!

Sea2, I've had the JC-1's and several Mac amps in my system. I could live with any of them. It's going to be which one draws you in more. Make the time to listen to both. People use analogies to cars and wine when comparing Amps. The one I use is: I've dated Pamela Anderson and Jessica Simpson. I prefered one, you might prefer the other. Nobody can tell you which one you will like best. If you get that, it will clear up alot of your confusion. I also see an amp and speaker sort of shaking hands together. Some amps and speakers like each other some don't. Doesn't mean one is bad. One thing about the Mac with it's autoformers, if you like its sound, you're probably covered with future speaker changes. Goof luck.

Here's the next question I have. As I said the YBA sounds wonderful. The sound is clear and transparent. It's only 100WPC. The speakers I have are about 90db. will these amps with their increased power make a big difference? My room size is about 14x16.

I had a pair of JC-1. I sold them. I think that 1000 hours break in is a lot of BS. This is electronics no mechanics...I think a lot of poeple can hear the hars parasound sound and then after 1000 hours they can tell de diference and then they feel that the amp "broke in". Non sense.I bought a 602 and 252 in a bi amping setting with LS360. That sounds good!, Sweet, transparent, delicate. And punchy.With a MX135.Go for MC my friend

I second Perfectionist on this!THEY DO TAKE UPWARDS OF 1,500 HOURS, and this is NOT BS!Mine have also got about 1,600 hours on them, and they sound awesome.To prove my case, I have a friend who owns a pair with only about 400 hours on them. We unhooked mine and put his in my system. Mine sounded MUCH BETTER! He totally agreed, and could not believe they were the same amps.His sounded thin, in your face, and had virtually no image depth to speak of. Mine sounded much more neutral, faster, more transparent, more detailed, and had deeper, more powerful, and tighter bass response, and a much deeper soundstage.They will reveal weaknesses in any of your other components, if they are not up to par. Better use quality components with these amps!

I second the recommendation for the MC402, but it does need break-in time as well. My MC402 sounded steely in the highs for the first weeks with my Shahinian Diapason, only after easily 200 or 300 hours did it develop the natural, sweet sound that McIntosh is famous for, and which I enjoy for 2 years now.